Shock-absorber.



' UNITED STATES i,PATENT orifice.

' JAMES H. sAGEn, or noonEsrEi; ivE'W Yonx, 'nssIGNoE To JAMES H. snaren Coirf rANY, or ROCHE arise, ANEW YORK, A conronArIuN F NEW Yom:`

SHOCK-Anselmi.- y

.i f .i Speciciiton of Letters Patent. Ptented Sept. 20, i910.Y

Application led April 1, 1910. Serial No. 552,900.

To' all 'whom 'it may concern:

i Be it known that I, JAMES SAoEn, :i

l citizen of the United States, and resident` of Rochester, in the county of Monroe rsind Stute of New York, have invented certain,

new enf" useful Im roveinents in Shock-Absorbeis, ef which t ie following is a specisimplein construction end efficient in opera'- tion,:and which shall have provision for ad- .as the seine is defined in the succeeding justing the resistanceof the device iu simple and effective manner. f

To the beforementioned ends the invention consists in a shock absorber constructed sub-y stantially in .the manner of the embodiment of the invention hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

claims.. I I

In the drawings: Figure 1 is :i sideelevf tion of a. shock absorber embodying the pres` eut-invention; Fig. 2 is u vertical median section, looking from front to rear in Fig. l;

und Fig. is averticnl section ou the 'liuc 3-3 in Fig. 2, looking from `rightto left.

The illustrated embodiment ol: the iuven tion comprises, :is is common in devices of f this character, two relatively-rotatable meinsecured to the casing by bolts 5 passing through internal lugs in the casing.' The plates 4 are provided with outward extensions 6 forming hearings for a pivot 7, and to the ends of this pivot are connected the ends of a bilurcatcd arm constituting the second relatively-rotetzihle member of the device:` This nrni consists of twoV plates 8 Vand 9, of which the' ends are connected,re

spectively, te the enos vof the pivot 7, and' the plates 8 und 9 ure lbroufht together and united at their outer en s l0 and perfo-v Y i rated to provide for pivotallj1 connecting t-lieni, iu the usual manner, with the axle of the vehicle. n

The means for resisting relativerotntion of the aruis comprise 'a calin und t-wo levers v engaging, and moved by, ihe cunrand controlled in their movements by adjustable springs. ,As shown in Fig. 3, the Cain i4 is located within. the cesiug On eithersidc of the com, as shovin in Fig. 2, isfa cani .formed integralv with the. pivot 7 and is lever l5, the levers being provided with rccesses in their outer surfaces which engage lugs 1G projecting inward from the casing:r

so as to provide pivotal supports or fulcruius for the levers. The other ends of the levers Aare subject to the a'ction of com iression springs 17 which engage Washers 18 caring against the ends ot the levers. The springs project. outwardly into recesses 19, in the arm l, and their outer ends rest against ndjust'uig plugs -2O which have 'e screw-thread engagement` willi the recesses vi9. The

springs lsubject the levers constantly to i pressure so' :is to `hold them in engagement with the cmu 14, and the force of the springs muy be adjusted by sere-mug the adjusting plugs in und outI the recesses 19. 'l'o hold the adjusting plugs inV adjusted position, und also to constitute 1 guide for the springs` a bolt 21 passes' longitudinallyv through the plugs :nid the springs und Lthrough the ends of the. leverswhich are slotted to receive this holt. On each end of the bolt 21 is a nut After the adjusting plugs have. been adjusted us required the Ynuts '2'2 :are screwed up to heur against the plugs und thi-f: lock them in adjusted position. The washers 1S ft tfielj, but. closely Vupon the bolt il so that-,they prevent the transmission, from the levers-to the springs, of the tmnsverse movement result-ing from the curvilinear motion of the ends of the levers,

The com 14 is a. double-.throw cam. :is

shown in Fig. 2, that is to siiy, liv a rotation of the cani in either direct-ion both of the4 levers are. simultaneously moved in opposite directions :may from the pivotal cent-ei' of ftliedevice, so as to compress the springs 1T.

In the normal positiony of the device, shown'k in the drawings, the cain levers rest against the lowest'portions of the cam surface, and the device may have a slight movement in either direction fromthisnorinal position of thev running ear of the vehicle to which,

it. is applied. `vlhen extreme irregularities in the road surface are encountered, however, so that the vehicle spriiigs'tend to be compressed or expanded to a considerable extent, the. highportions of thek ca m come into effective operatlon and impart movevments of corresponding amplitude to the levers 15, thereby compressing the springs so that the pressure, and the resulting friction, between the levers and the cam istion.

greatlyv increased. While the resistance to the relative movements of thc arms duc `to the rictional engagement between the cam levers and the cam is operative in all positions of the parts to resist relative move,- lments of the arms, the effect of this friction is modified by thefuct that the cam levers, after having been swung outwardlyby a partial rotation of the cam, tend to operate recipiocally upon the cani and rotate it back to normalkv position again, thereby iiartly'counteracting the effect of they fric- 'l'hedev'ice thusV operates to'resist movement of the springs from their normal condition with a Greater force than it resists thc return o? the springs to normal condition As a further means for adjusting the shock absorber to various conditions u of use the arms are connected together in such a manner that their normal angular position inav be varied. `To this end the plates 8 an f series of projections 13 upon their inner surfaces, these projections being formed ronvenicntly b v .epressing the metal at theV outer surfaces. The pivot. 'l' is formed with Vcorrespondingseries of depressions at its ends, Aandv the proJcctions and depressionsk are normally held in firm engagement by means of e, bolt l1 which asses through the plates 8 anal 9`and tl'irong 1. the center of. the ivct. and is secured b v a. nut 12. Ald'lien it is desired to change thc normal' anglo botween the arms the nut 12 is loosened, and the (projections and depressions may then bo isengaged sufficiently to permit the plates to bek turned to al new angular position, in which they are again secured b v tightening the nut 12. The body 23 andA axle 24 of the vehicle to which the shock absorber isapplied are indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l. The ends of the armsai'e pivoted to these parts in any usual or convenient manner.

The arrangement of the cam levers on opposite sides of the cani tends to balance the pressure of the levers against the cani sol asv yin the. device.

9 are provided with circular to avoid unbalanced pressure of the pivot pin against its bearings andthus reduce wear justinent of the two springs, since-by this means the force of the two levers may be This action is further en-` 1 Ahanced by the provision of independent adf Y' easily cqualizcd. It is to be noted, however, 5

that the operation of thedevice docs not depend upon this equalized action, since the. ydevice will still operate eti'ectively even ink case yone of thespringsbe broken, or in the case of the entire omission of one of the cam levers and its spring.

The applicant is aware that shock-absorbing devices have been heretofore proposed in which spring-pressed yielding membersin the form of slides have been arranged to engage' and be actuated by cams, but in such devices comparatively,l powerful and heavy springs have been necessary, owing tothe direct action of the cams on the springs and vthe consequent small amplitude of move ment. The employment of spring-pressed levers, as in thc present invention, has the important advantage that it Apermits the usc of springs smaller and lighter than are re-' quired for direct action, and this advantage may obviously be secured where the lever is arranged either as a lever of the third class, as in the illustrated en'ibodiineiit ofA the invention, or as a lever of the first class.

I claim i `1 'In combination with the frame and an axle of'a vehicle, ashock-absorber havinir two relativcly-rotalable ineinbersconnecte respectively, with said frame and axle, and inoveinent-rcsistin?,y mechanisml between said Amembers comprising a lever fulcrunied at one end on one ot' said members, adjustable moans between the other end of the lever and said member for vadjusting yielding movement of thc lever, and means connected with the other of said members, and engagsaid member and the lever, and means con- Y nected with the other member for moving -the lever against the resistance of the sprintf.

3. In coinbination'witli the freine and an axle of a vehicle, a shock-absorber having two relatively-rotatable members, and mov ment-rcsistingA mechanism between said members comprising a lever fulcrumed on one member, a spring interposed between said member and -the lever, means for adjusting the force of the spring, and means connected with the other member for moving the lever against the; resistance of -thel Spring.

f 4. In combination with the frame and an axleof a vehicle, a Shock-abnorherharing two relatWely-rotatable members, alnl nimement-resisting nierhanisni between Said me|nbers eomprlslngtwe levers fuit-,ruined on une 5. In eombinatien with the frame andv an axle of a vehicle, a shock-absorber haring,r two relatn'ely-rutatahle nienihers of which `(me constitutes a easing having' an inwardlyextenrling' hierA` a earn leratetl \vithinttlw.veas` in; r and eunneetetl with the other relativelyrotatable member, a cani-lever fulcrlnnetl upon said lingr and engagingr the cani, anda I spring eope ntner Vwith the cani-lever and located Wt'hin't'he using.

vitnesses Y Fanxmr F. Donsm, I). Gunxnn.

JAM' S ll. SAGEN. 

